THE PEKSIDENTIAL ELE(;TION. 




S P E E O ET 



OF 



HON. JNO. C. BURGH, 

DELIVERED AT LEWISBURG, TENN., Sfpt. 15, 1880. 



The Solid South. 

One of the arj,'unients urged against the 
l»emocnitic party is that it is sustained by a 
Solid South. I grant that the South will be 
solid in November. I grant that cver>- elec- 
toral vote in every Southern State will be 
cast witli hearty enthusiasm for Hancock 
nnd English. I grant that there is a cause 
for every eflect a!:<^ that every effect 
lias its cause. Now, wLat is tho cause of 
tliis solidity in the South? Wliat is the 
reason for this strong Democratic majority 
ill every Southern State? Why is it that the 
South i3 represented with nearly unanimity 
both in the Senate and the House by Demo- 
crats? These are results worthy of consid- 
eration. It is well for the political philoso- 
pher, the statesman, the politician, the pri- 
vate and nna-spiring citizen to inquire into, 
to' investigate the causes which have pro- 
duced this condition of political sentiment 
in the once Confederate States. What made, 
who are responsible for a solid South? 

Before the war the Southern States were 
divided between the Whig and Democratic 
■parties as in the Northern and Western 
States. When the war was over the South- 
ern soldiers returned to their homes exjtect- 
ing to take their places as quiet citizens of 
the Union. They liad no wish to enter into 
politics. Over three thousand millions of 
their property had been destroyed. All of 
their industrial p^suit.s had been suspend- 
ed. Houses, fences, farms, plantations, 
their all, had severely suffered in 
the long and desperate struggle. Many 
of their kindred slept the sleep of 
death on the same battlefields where the 
Northern soldiers had fallen. A common 
sod covered both the blue and the gray. 
Many of the Southrons had pined for months, 
many of them had languished and lingered 
»nd lingering died in Northern prisons as 



many of the Northern soldiers met a like 
fate in the South. There were widows and 
orphans here, as there Widows and orphan.r 
there. "Yet vanquished in battle, wrecked 
in fortune, witli the domestic circle rudely 
broken, the Southern soldier returned to his 
home unambitious about politics and indif- 
ferent about parties. His heart and hi5 
support were ready to^be given to that party 
which should give him a fair living chance 
with the enfranchisednegroe.s who had former- 
ly been his slaves. He wished thesame right 
of suffrage that was given to them. He 
wished the same right to sit in the jurj' box 
the same privileges in the legislative, judi- 
cial and executive departments in their sev- 
eral States that were accorded to the freed- 
men. He wished his rights of person and 
of property to have the same protection be- 
fore the law and to be judged and deter 
mined in the courts just as the life, the lib- 
erty and the property of his former slaves 
and present fellow-citizens were adjudged 
and determined. They felt that in common 
humanity and as a matter of the wi.-cst pc 
iitical forecast they might e.xpecl that much 
from the government authorities. 

The Republican party was then oven^helm- 
ingly in powerin the general governmentand 
in the loyal Stiites. It had the giving of laws to 
the South as well as to the North. What 
was the policy that party pursued toward 
the vanguished and impoverished South? 
Was it one of conciliation and restoration 
of fraternal feeling? Wa.s it calculated to 
l)uild up or 10 tear down? Was its ten- 
dency to relieve from the shackles of i)overtj 
or to bind with the fetters of despotism? 
What did the Repiiblican party do in thi."* 
political crisis? The State government of 
ten of the Southern States were overturned, 
the eleventh, Tenues.se, being already under 
the Brownlow despotism. In the entire 
eleven Confederate States the white people 
who participated or sympathised with their 
native South in the struggle were disfran- 



L 2 J 






1 liisod. debarred from liMi.nn^ oiii'-e, >-';ato 
• ir national, from sitting on juries, some- 
riiue-s from practising law, and sometimes 
irum preaching the go-tj)el or administering 
the rite of marriage. The military wa.'^ 
made superior to the civil power. The 
military commi.ssion suj-erceded the trial by 
jury. Governors were de]>osed. Legisla- 
tures turned out or kept out of their |halls 
by the bayonet. Power over life, liberty and 
(iroperty were given to a military otlicer. 
Soldiers were stationed at the polls. Super- 
visors of elections were created to whom 
were given the power of arrest and, thus, 
the power of determining who should and 
who should not be allowed to vote. These 
.Siijiervisors were authorized to corrupt the 
ilective franchise by bribing those to assist 
them who would have otherwise voted 
aj:aiust them. Instances are too numerous 
to mention of the har.>h execution of their 
infamous laws iii the eleven Southern 
States. They affected nearly the 
t'Mtire resident white population, for 
with limited exceptions, the resident whites 
who were capable of bearing arms were in 
the army, and those who were too old, too 
leeble to carry a gun sympathised with their 
kindred who were daily exposed to the perils 
of the battle held. For years after the close 
of the war the severest franchise laws kept 
you and me find nearly all of us from the 
iiallot box and from the exerci.'je of any kind 
of oIKcial authority. Jirownlow's militia 
lorded it over us with impunity, arresting 
at pleasure witiiout warrant, and sometimes 
jiunishing without either law, justice or 
mercy. The political rights which were 
denied to the large majority of the resident 
whites were lavishly bestowed upon the 
colored population and the carpet-bagger. 
The government.s established in the Southern 
States by liepublican policy cost, it is esti- 
mated, over ♦2.3O,0OO,tXi0, nearly all of which 
went to satisfy the lavish, intemperate and 
unworthy desires of those who had come 
among us to prey upon rather than to pray 
for U.S. Years i>a«sed, long, dreary, dej)ress- 
ing. desolating yc^irs of desjiotism. Is it as- 
tonishing that the South should have 
opposed the party which gave to them this 
despotic rule? Is it astonishing that the 
intelligent of those among us who had beeti 
steadily loyal to the Union should recognize 
ihat this was ruin to their section? Is it as- 
tonishing that the South should iiave been 
.solid in their opposition to Republican 
measures introduced, advocated, sustained 
ami enf<.)rced by the Kejiublicaii i)arty? 

by and bv, after these long, terrible years, 
not so deatli-dealing but not less agonizing, 
the tiky began to grow lighter, gleams of 
sunshine began to appear through the rifts 
in the dark clouils. Little by little the load 
of corruption and opjiression was lifted 
from our over burdened backs. Now and 
then some one of the political jtrivileges 
which had been ours in former vears, but 
which had been ru<Kly wrenchcil frijm us 
and bestowed upon our former slaves, was 
restored to us. 

We could hear all^the time the Republi- 
cans leaders held us under the rod of op- 
pression and the lieel of tyranny, that a gal- 
liii't little band bad heroically kei>t uj) the 



une'i'Kii liL'iii in tnc nails of Congre.>s and 
ofSrato Le>:i.-latur(S and upon the hustings in 
every Northern State, in favor of equal and 
exact justice to every citiz^ of the Union, 
white as well as black. Wa^ it unnatural 
that our liearts should swell with gratitude 
to that heroic band of Democrats who strug- 
gled for a fair interpretation and the just 
enforcement of the (jonstitution? Is it un- 
natural that our afTections as well as our 
principles should have led us to join hands 
with that band of patriots who struggled for 
a restored and reconciled union of all the 
people of all the States? 

That 8trug_de between the oppressor and 
the oppressed has continued; the Republi- 
can jiarty maintaining with all of its pov/er 
the dooirinces of oppres.sion ; the Demo- 
cratic party all the time and 
everywhere combating those doc- 

trines on every inch of ground. Is it 
astonishing that the South should Ije solidly 
Democratic, and solid in its opposition to 
the j>rinciples and practices of the ReY>ubli- 
can party; solid for the natioual policy of 
the Democracy; solid against the sectional 
policy of the Republicans; solid for nation- 
ality; solid against sectionalism? 

In the tirst session of the t>resent Con- 
gress the struggle was renewed, the Demo- 
crats assuiiiing the agggresive and demand- 
ing: The repeal of the law authorizing a 
Judge in the Federal Court to exclude from 
the jury all who had participated or syinpa 
thized with the South in the late war; the 
repeal of all laws which atithorize the inter- 
ference with elections by the military; the 
repeal of all laws under which partisan Su- 
pervisors and Marshals can arrest and pre- 
vent one from voting, thereby assuming au- 
thority to determine who shall vote. These 
are leading (juestions in the present can- 
vass. Is it astonishing that the South 
stands solidly in favor of a repeal ofthe.se 
la.ws, which are contrary to the si>irit of our 
institutions? Is it astonishing that the 
South should stand solidly with the Democ- 
racy and solid against the secti(.)nal pc^licy of 
the so called Republican party? solid for 
national brotherhood against sectionalism? 
It was easily within the power of the Re- 
publican j>arty to have controlled forever 
the Southern States if they had not adopted 
the policy of pro.«cription. The abolition of 
slavery and the giving of sullVage to the 
blacks would have been readily submitted 
to. It is true that Mr. Lincoln, in a letter 
to Cfov. Ilahn. of Louisiana, in March, 1SG4, 
aaid: 'I barely suggest for your i)rivate con- 
sideration, whether some of the colored 
people may not be let into the elective fran- 
chise, as, for instance, the very intelligentand 
esi)ecially those who have fought gallantly 
in our ranks." Mr. Lincoln ^id not recom- 
mend that these two cla.>i.«es oT the colored 
people — "the very intelligent" and "those 
wht^ fought gallantly in the Union army'" — 
shoidd be allowed to vote. He only .fti^- 
grutril the inni)vatii>n for tlie private consid- 
eration of (iov. Hahn. It would, perhaps. 
have been wiser, for both races and both sec- 
tions, if the judicious suggestion of Mr. Lin- 
coln luid been followed. Instead thereof 
the ballot-box was thrown as widely open to 
the ignorant, the vicious, the depraved of 



[ 3 ] 



the colored people, as to the intolUfjent of 
that cla!=s, to tlmse who did not servo in the 
Union army as to those who "fouj^ht gal- 
lantly." So it remains, and so it will con- 
tinue — the people of the South hcliexing it 
bettor to instnu't, inform, educate the igno- 
rant voter than to take the electoral fran- 
chise from those who have for years exer- 
Oised it If tlie Ilei)ul)lican leaders had not 
made the policy of their party one of sec- 
tional hate, if they had devoted themselves 
to ([uestious of finance, tarilT, public im- 
provements, navigation laws, all of that class 
of questions which are non-sectional ques- 
tions of administrative yxdicy, they would 
have carried every State in the South. They 
would have had the soliil colored vote with 
them on any and every question, and there 
would have been a suliicient division of sen- 
timent ui)on the questions of each canvass 
among the whites to have assured victory to 
the Kepublicans. 

If the South is solid for the Democracy, 
the Republican party is responsible for it. 
If the South d(K's not cast an electoral vote 
for the Republican ticket in the next elec- 
tion, and she will not, the Republican party 
IS responsible for it. ''Soothing Syrup" was 
not the medicine they administered. It is 
abhorrent to them. Their treatment was: 
blister, then rub with turpentine. They 
must change their policy. They must cease 
to rely ou force, fraud and misrepresenta- 
tion to accomplish their objects. They 
must resort to argument and the njethods of 
peace in their ellorts to retain power in the 
days of peace. If they had made a dilfereut 
nominalicm at Chicago, if they had put 
Grant instead o*G rfield at the head of 
their ticket, they might have carried one or 
two Southern States; thej' might have 
broken the solid South. Gen. Grant has 
shown great military heroism and capabili- 
ties, lie has publicly proclaimed that he 
observed the same hiyalty and devotion to 
our common ling and country in the South 
as in the North. lie t'dd the people of New 
Orleans: "The scenes of war arc now 
passed; we are a united people." 
aarfleld. 

What is there in (ien. Garfield to com- 
mend him to Southern support? He wiis in 
the army for awhile 'vithout achieving any 
sjiecial distinction. Ho entered Congress in 
18(>3. He has been (here ever since. Ho 
w^as there at the surrender of the South and 
through all the days of reconstruction, lie 
had every opportunity to show that be had 
some l)road statesmanship, every opp.>r- 
tunity of rising superior to j)artisan preju- 
dice, bigotry, inioleiance. He has held the 
position of a leader oi his party in the House 
and in the country. He has been tiie Chair- 
man of the (fcmimittee on Military Affairs 
and of the Committee on Appropriations. 
He has had opportunities to introduce bills 
and to advocate l)ills which would har- 
monize the sections, forever bury all sec- 
tional issues. Has he done so? We search 
the record in vain for the evidence of his 
statesmanship, for the ocoa-^ion when he 
rose above the partisan, for the measure of 
conciliation or harmony which he intro- 
duced, advocated or voted for. Unfortu- 
nately for him, fur the Republican party. 



for the reputation of the country, the njea<^ 
nres «i h which his name is most familiarly 
connected are not creditable to him as a 
statesman, a patriot or a Christian. .Shouhl 
the .South vote for him? Siiould not tJio 
South be solid .against him? Every measure 
of persecution or proscription, every method 
of insult or ignominy to the South has been 
supported by him. The suspen.sion of th<' 
writ of finheas rorpiis in .Southern Stiiles; 
the establishment of military commissions 
to supercede trial by jury; tiie proclamation 
of martial law years after the warendeil: 
tlie taking away of the right to vote; the 
prohibition against sitting on juries and 
holding otlice; the removal of civil ofTicers 
and the appointment by the military of otli- 
cers or sokliers to succeed them have ail 
been advocated by him. When the Four- 
teenth Amendment to the Constitutitm wa< 
before Congress he made a speech. May 1. 
18()(i, on one of the bills relating thereto, i;i 
which he said: 

"Now, Mr. Sneaker, if the gentlemen who 
report this bill will put in a section that all 
who participated in the reliellion shall for- 
ever be excluded from the right of elective 
francise in all cases Jrelating to national of- 
fices then I will say the proposition will br 
just and one we could stand upon as a mat- 
ter of principle. Anything is just which 
excludes from privilege and power all these 
infamous men who participated in the rebel- 
lion." 

Garfield was more severe than Thad. 
Stevens, was more .so than his party in either 
house of Congress. The Fourteenth Amend- 
ment as passed by a Republican Senate ainl 
a Republican House is not nearly 
so proscriptive as Mr. Garfield desired 
and would have made it, if he 
could have brought his party up to tho tiu'a- 
ure of his unrelenting hate. 

His CongresNioiial Bocord. 

It is tmnecessary to go through, in <lotail, 
the long and unsavory record of ^Ir. Gar- 
field. The Credit Mobilier. rotten with cor- 
ruption — a stench in the public nostrils to 
this day, a corpse which loses none of its 
putrefaction by the lapse of time, a pcdlution 
that neither the mantle of charity nor the 
cloak of religion can cover. Shall we go 
into the testimony of Oakos Ames and Gar- 
field, and the rest of the Credit Mobilier 
pool, tji settle the exact guilt of each? Shall 
we read the contemporary condemnation by 
the Uenublican press of the North? Shall 
we road what was then saiil of them by then- 
own partisan a.ssociates? It was a bad job 
by had men. Shall we enter into an investi- 
gation of the Dot iolyer Contract for a rotten 
wooden pavement, which cost the (Jovern- 
ment and tho city of Wa-hington over .-M.tKio.- 
t»00? Shall I spea'kof the'$-').oiiu foe which Mr. 
(Jarlield. then chairman of the House (.'om- 
mitteef)!! Appropriations, received for having 
that contract awanled. agsiinst the unani- 
mous judjcment of eminont engineers ap- 
I>ointed to e>camine the DeGidyer proce.'-s f<ir 
paviiig? A few moments devoted to this 
subject will .sutflce. The Board of Publit- 
Works of the (?ity of Washington inaugu- 
ratofl their svstem of improvements in ISTJ. 
They advertised for bids for all kinds of 
patent pavements. The bids and the variety 



[ ^ ] 



Tail 



laii>^ "! j>M'. Mil.' |pr"i|i'>vril \Mi(.- r»-ii-irfa in 
an advNory board of five dij-tinguished civil 
and army cn;;iiieers. DeGolyer A Co. pui in 
a l)id, and proi)osed their patent for paving. 
The Board of Kngiiibers reported unani- 
mously ajrainst the DeCJolyer pave- 
raenl, and in favor of the Suelcy 

Iirocess. Notwithstanding this report, 
)e(Jolyer'6 firm, con:?i.sting of DeGol- 
yer, Cliarlos K. Jenkin.s, Robert McClelland, 
and perliaps others, sent one Geo. 11. Chit- 
tenden to WuslTaigton to see if he could nt)t 
.secure the ci.i.'ract. The)' authorized him 
to spend $1W,(»00 to get the contract if he 
could get it at paying rtgures. Tlie contract 
wa.s awardfid. A nieiuber of the Board in- 
sisted that the contract should be annulled. 
He said, "Tliis pas'enient is a swindle from 
beginning to end. It is absolutely worth- 
less. It is downright robbery to allow this 
rotten contract to go any further." IJut 
Boss Shepherd, who was the leading mem- 
ber of the Uoard, leplied: 

"Gentlemen, it is idle to di-scussthe merits 
of tliat contract or that pavement. It was 
giveu absolutely as a personal favor to Gen. 
Gartield. Ue is Chairman of the House 
Committee on Appropriations. If that con- 
tract is annuUea we will have endless 
trouble in getting newappropriations. Some 
will fail utterly. We cannot afford to raise 
our hands in this matter." 

Tkat ended the discus.'siou and settled the 
contract in fu^s'or of laying the rotten, worth- 
less pavement, and Mr. Gartield received his 
fee of jj;o,000. Jenkins, one of the tirni of 
DeGolyer & Co., swore it was the official in- 
lluenoe of Gartield as Chairman of the Com- 
mittee on Appropriations, that was souglit. 
Chittenden, the agent at Washington of the 
DeGolj'er Company, wrote to the firm in 
Chici'go, May -^iO, 1872, before the contract 
was awarded: "The inllucnce of Gen. Gar- 
fielil has been secured by yesterday's, last 
night" !•• and to-day's labors. He holds the 
purse strings of the United States, is Chair- 
man of the Committee on Appropriations, 
i-- t!'i- - TiMigcst man in Congress. My dc- 
I !!. '.o-day not less than 100,000 more, 

"■ II all. The connection is comidote. 

coii hardly realize that we have Gen. Gar- 
•Id svith us. It is rare success and very 
'il.iiie appropriations for the 

lue through him." 

1- letter, dated March 30, 

writer : "Had a lohg talk 

Governor (IJoss Sljcpherd), 

He will see that wo 

By Saturday or Mon- 

'^Littcnden tclcgraphe*! to 

he l>e(iolyar Company: 

sary, 1 have as reed to 

I have entire contract, 

'0 per yanl." Again, 

; i«d: " Ihe Pentsanil tiiat 

i uiiivtunt to the lirst thing. 

rd \f luy riglit bower in nlace of 

''ui't wliis^jKirn word; uiitopo 

June A lie tclegraph.s: 

:i(' (\a>\\; paid live already; 

lii ;(een days, five at one 

li, I lonths, twenty at four, 

ty ti. J w. iw.i.iyat nine m(.)ntlis, with 

;>;t at >i.x per ciiit. Will take contract 

,wilb uie toJi"p:bt for -"<\0'K) van!-: 



'•ad' 

'st • , 
In 

litUuJci 

th the 

•s iiiorning. 

pro tec tod 



•ph. 



p'il-llty lO follow. V» f UlU-l ,1. i ,,!• li.jM .N 

Answer quickly." A total of $108,t>00 ))aid 
to get a p'lving contract from the Board ol 
Puldic Works of the bistrict of Columbia. 
The money to pay for the pavement was to 
be api>ropriated partly by Congre-s, partly 
collected from citizens of Washington by 
authority of Congress. Mr. (lariield wa» 
Chairman of the Committee on Appropria- 
tions in the House, where appropriation 
bills originate. He held "the purse btring;- 
of the I'nited States." On the stand, a* u 
witness for himself, he was asked: "l>id 
you file with the Board of Public Works .jl 
the District a- brief or <ii>inion written, 
printed, or otherwise, uixm the subject ot 
the Detiolyer j>atent jjavement?' He an- 
swered: "i could not say 1 did." l^uestion — 
"Did you at any time apjiear before that 
Board and make any argument whatever?" 
Answer: "I do not remember that 1 did. 
but I did speak to Gov. Shepherd 
on the subject, giving my opinion in 
its favor." (Question: "Gov. Sliei>herd ha- 
testified that you once spoke to him casually 
on the subject. How much cash did you re- 
ceive for your agency in the procurement of 
this particular contract." Answer: "Five 
thousand dollai-s." 

The wear and tear of a very few years have 
shown how utterly worthless the pavement 
was and liow thoroughlj- rotten aiii corrupt 
was the contract. The supiiorler.s of Mr. 
Gartield insist that he is a good, casy^ unsus- 
pecting man, easily taken in by such men a< 
Oakes Ames and DeGolyer, that he is a pure 
man and that his intentions were good. 1 
am reminded of the witty reply of Hon. 
Sam. Cox: "Hell is paved "with good iivten- 
tions and DeGolyer had ih# contract for the 
pavement." 

It is related of Cjtsar that on returning to 
Rome after an absence of sometime he was 
told of di.scredi table rumors about his wife. 
He was also informed that the rumors were 
not believed. He could not get any cor- 
roboration of their correctness. Neverthe- 
less, though he believed his wife innocent, 
he obtained a divorce. Ills only answer to 
this seemingly harsh i>rot:eeding wa.s: "The 
wife of Ca'sar ought to be above suspicion." 
If this was true as to the wife of the ruler 
of Rome, how much more so, a thousand 
fold, is it true of therresident of the Ameri- 
can Uepublic? The President of the United 
States "ought to be above suspicion." If 
one about whoso virtue a doubting word 
had been utteretl could not renniin tlie wile 
of Ca-sar, then one about whose integrity 
there are strong suspicions Icu^'d on testi- 
mony should ni>t be elected to the Presi- 
dency of this Republic. 

The KIcrtora) Fmnd. 

But if there wen- Mdiiiiinr in any of these 
cliari:e«, made against him a f(*w years ago 
bv his own party, and about which the pre.>^- 
ot hisown politic^d faith .s<i severely .scourge<i 
him, there is still sufiicient in his pnbii.- 
record to warrant his being <iriven from the 
portals of tile Presidential mansion by whip- 
ihongK of an outraged public sentiment. 
Coming on down t<» the Klectoral fraud of 
187(;-7", whidi is to all other fratida an the 
luftiestmoiinain t.-lthelowliest mole hill, we 
find Gmi. Gartield om," of the chief con- 



r 5 ] 



-piriitors and most active and 'ofluM<'nt j>ar- 
ticipatDis in t!iat irraiid larceny of tlie Presi- 
ilenoy of the rnitcil Slates, In u very few 
days after tlie November election, lH7ii, it 
WJis known and admitted that tlie Demo- 
cratic ticket had received a majority of iJfiO,- 
(K)0 of the popular vote of the I'nion. Tiie 
Democrats claimed and believed that their 
ticket had received lUii Klectural votes and 
that the Republican ticket had received 
only 173 votes, thus electing Tilden and 
Hendricks by twenfs'-three majority over 
their opponents and eleven moie than was 
necessary to elect. To defi'at this resiilt the 
Chairman of tlie National Ileptiblican Com- 
mittee, Hon. Zach. Chanffler, boldly as.serted 
that .South Carolina, Florida and I.oui^iana 
had cast their votes for the l'e['ul)licans and 
not for the Democrats. Steps were imme- 
diately taken by the Republit-an administra- 
tion and the Republican National Committee 
to substantiate this bold assertion. Upon 
its substantiation depended the continuation 
of a Republican adiuinistration and the ex- 
istence of the Republican party. The Re- 
publican President oi the United States sent 
a board of "visiliuKstatesmen," Republicans, 
to the doubted States to see "a fair count." 
Wljy did he doubt a fair count when the 
Returning Boards wefc controlled by his 
own partisans? If it was a fair count he 
wished, why did lie' not send an eijual num- 
ber from each of the two great jwhtical par- 
ties to each of the contested States? It was 
the old case vi the criminal who was told by 
the court that he should have justice. He 
replied: "If your Honor please, that is just 
what I don't want."' "A fair covinf wa.? 
just what the Republican administration 
and the Repulilican National Committee 
didn't want. The "visiting statesmen" of 
the Republican party were sent to South 
Carolina, Florida and Louisiana not to have 
but to [>revent "a fair count." The records 
of causes celebrated and uncelebrated of anj' 
country do not reveal gro.ser frauds nor 
blacker perjury than was coniimtted under 
the tutilage of tho.se "visiting statesmen." 
Gen. James A. Garlield was one of the "visit- 
ing statesmen" of the i;<'{iublican party who 
went to Loui.siana to .'^ee "a fair count." 
Some of the election papers which belonged 
otticially to the Returning Board were 
turned over to him. Packard assigned him 
a room in the Custom-house for Jiis esi)ecial 
u.se in the i)erformance of his duties as a l{e- 
publican "visiting statasman." According 
to his own testimony, he e.Kamined the testi- 
mony which had been turned over to him 
by the Madison Wells Returning Boarcf. He 
iiia<le (Hit a list of witnesses to i)e examined 
md interviewed the witnesses before the ex- 
! mi nation. If the aflidavits of witnesses 
already examined were not a.s full as he de- 
sired, additional interrogatories were pre- 
pared for the witnesses. As an instance of 
the work performed by him, we cite the 
case of Amy .^Iitchell, a colored woman 
vhose husband had beuii killed in the parish 
'{ West Feliciana. Mr. Garlield hadaprivat« 
interview with her. He then prepared int«r- 
rogatories to brin^ out the testimony 
which was suhnjitted to the Returning Board 
in adtiition to other testimony of hers that 
was already before that Board. Amy Mitch- 



ell was another Kliza Pinkston. She told a 
terrible story of the murder of her husband. 
It was largely false, but taken before the 
Congressional committee she withilrew. it. 
The papers relatitig to West Feliciana (Jen-. 
(Jarlidd had in that room in the custom- 
house which Packard had assigned to his 
special use. In tliat '.oom he examined the 
papers turned over to him bv Madison \Vells 
and his as-sociates. He talked with witnesses. 
He drew up further interrogatories "to draw 
out more fully from some of the witnesses 
the tesiinuiny which they luul given in brief," 
and some of the intermgatories which were 
subse(iueutly ai)pended to the testimony of 
these witnesses ^ere, he say.-j, "of my draft- 
ing.' I (luote from Ills own testimony. Is 
it strange that West Feliciana, with itM 
Democratic majority, was rejected by the 
Returning Board, compi>sed of Wells, An- 
derson, Kenner and Cassanave? All praise 
to the "visiting statesman" from Ohio. Hon. 
James A. Garlield! Who of them did the 
work for which he was sent any better than 
he? Who can deny his ability? He admits 
under oath that as the returns stood when 
he arrived in New Orleans the Democratit; 
ticket was elected. There was a majority of 
six tliousand for Tilden. But the "visiting 
statesmen" got in their work. They re- 
mained there three weeks. They then left, 
and before they had time to get to Washing- 
ton the lightning carried the news to the 
world: "The Returning Board ha.s counted 
out Tilden and counted in Hayes." Who 
can ever know the heartiness with which 
his partisan admirers extended their greet- 
ings and congratulations on his arrival? 
Who can ever tell the modesty and meekne.ss 
with which this Christian s.atesman receivdl 
those greetings and congratulations? 

But the electoral question was not yet 
j-ettled. Public credulity was astounded 
and ])ublic .-sentiment shocked. It was 
whispered and then talked out in stentorian 
voice that the Democratic House would 
never submit to the fraiuls which had been 
perpetrated in counting Tilden out and 
Hayes in. T]iereui)on it was threatened that 
the army would be u.sed to enforce the edict.s 
of the lleturning Boards. The nation stood 
aghast. Fears wereentertained of the ftiture. 
Methotls of settling the ditliculty were sa;r- 
gested and discu.ssed. Finally the Electoral 
Commissimi was proposed. A bill was in- 
troduced to establish this commission, to 
consist of tifteen: live Judgesof the Supreme 
Court of the United States, live Srnators 
and live Representatives. The Senate wa« 
Reiiublican and the Hou~e Democratic. The 
Senate could select live Kcpublicans and the 
House live Democrats f..r commi.ssioners. 
It was, however, mutually agreed that the 
Senate shouhl .stdect thre."". Republican.s and 
two Democrat.^ and that ihe Himse should 
.sele't three Democrats and two Republicans. 
It was generally understood that two Demo- 
crats, two I'epublicaus and one Independent 
should be»«-ilecled from the Supreme i.'oiirt. 
Juilire Davis, of Illinois. h:id been the inti- 
mate personal friend of Mr. Lincoln. He 
luid contributed in a -ireater deirrce to the 
nomination of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency 
in lSi>J tiian any other man. He Iiad been 
apj-oinled to the Supreme Bench by Mr. 



[ e ] 



Lincoln. His ability as a jurist aud his non- 
partisan course on the bentii )uid secured the 
regard of the fair jnintk'il tjf all i)arties. It 
was tlius the general belief tliat, if the Elec- 
toral bill pa.'^sed, ihe L'muinissidn would be 
'•oniiiused of seven Democrats, seven Uepub- 
licun^ and one Independent. The bill was 
bitterly opj>o*ed in both houses by 
<unie Deniocrata and some Kepubli- 
rans, some on one ground, some 
on another. Mr. Garfield was among the 
bitter nj>poncnts of the bill. He had iieen 
at New Orleans as a "visiting siate.-nian." 
He knew inure of the "true inwardness ' of 
the (inding of the Returning Board than any 
man in the House. He opposed the bill and 
insi>tcd that the Republican President of the 
Senate must count the votes just as tliey 
were sent up from the .States. He o)>posed 
the bill because it look this authority from 
the Republican President of the Senate and 
>,'avc the power to the proposed lOlectoral 
' -oinmissitm to go beliind the Returning 
Boards, inquire into frauds in their returns 
and correct them in accordance with the law 
and the facts. Why did he opjio.se this? He 
knew whether there were frauds. In his 
tpeech in opposition to the bill he said: 

"This bill creates and places in the con- 
trol of Congress the enginery by which Pres- 
idents can be made and unmade at the Ca- 
price of the Senate and the House. * ' It 
assumes tiie right of Congress to go down 
into the (Colleges j»nd iiuiuire into all the 
acts and facts of their work It a-sumes the 
right of Congress to go down into the States, 
lo review the a;ts of every olticer, to open 
f-very ballot-box aiul to pass judgment on 
every ballot cast by 7.000,IXK) of Americans." 

Mr. (iarlield's oj)position to the bill Imd 
one immediate ellect; it gainetl for it some 
Democratic votes, because it satislV'd them 
tliat there were "acts and facts of the Elec- 
toral ('olleges" which he did not wish in 
•juired into. The bill passed, and Mr. (iar- 
(ield was elected by the House one of the 
Republican members of the Commissitjn. It 
is true that there wa.s a want of confidence 
in him e.xpres.«<e<l by his receiving n 
Nmaller vote than the others. Dem- 
ocrats and Rejiublicans, elected. He 
received only L'lO votes. The other, 2ty. His 
elet'tion showed anotherefiVct of his speech. 
It obtained for him .sc^me Democratic votes 
because he had une(|uivocally cvimmiticd 
himself U> the doctrines tiuit the Electoral 
Commis.siim had tlie auliiority "to go tlown 
into the colleges and in<|uire into all the acts 
and facta of tlie work, to go down into tiie 
States, review the act of every otiicer, to 
open every balloi-bo.x and to p;us* judgnu>nt 
on every ballot cast." He it remembered 
that when Mr. (iarfield oppo.sed the bill it 
was supposed that there would be on the 
• "ommi^sioij scxen Dciiiociats. seven Rejiub- 
licans and c>ne Independent, that .Judge 
Davis would have the casting vote in all 
"luestions where the Commission might he 
divided by party alliliaiions. U'hen the 
Commi.s.-ion was authorized .ludge Davis de- 
idimd to serve on it because he had been 
electetl and wa* soon to take his seat as a 
Cnited States Senator. In his stead Ju<i;:e 
Bradley, sometimes irreverently calkd 
vl/iufiffc Joe, was chosen. The Coninii.ssion 



waii orgahized consisting of eight Republi- 
cans and seven DenmcratS. 

The first ca.se which was submitted to it 
was that of Florida. The Boardof Canvassers, 
as tln;v were called in that .State, had by a 
majority cast out enough Democratic votes 
to leave the Republicans in the majority: 
They then declared that Stearns, Rejjublican. 
was elected tloveinor and that rhe Haye- 
electoral ticket was chosen. Thts was so 
glaring an outrage that Mr. Drew, the Demo 
cratic candidate for (UjveriiOr, obtained a 
niamlamus from the SuprcTne Court of the 
State compelling the Board of Canvassers tn 
restore in the cuiint for the State ofticers the 
precincts which tliej- had fraudulently cast 
out. In that way Drew became, as he wa.- 
elected, the legal Governor of Florida. Tlie 
Circuit Court of that State made a like de- 
cision in favor of the Tilden and against the 
Hayes electors. The Legislature directed "a 
canvass according to the laws of Florida, as 
interpreted by the Supreme Court, of th<- 
votes for electors of President and Vice 
President cast at the election Nov. 7, 187<j. 
This canvass was made and thereupon the 
Legislature declared that the counting in oi 
the Hayes electors by the Board and the 
giving of the certificates of the election to 
them by the then Governor, Stearns, was i! 
legal and erroneous, that the Hayes elector- 
"were not appointed as electors or entitle.? 
to have their names cotnpose the lists nnnlc 
and certified by the Governor and to have 
such lists certified to them." All those pa 
pers and documents were sent up to the 
commission and there was a tender of oral 
evidence to further sustain the position -; 
the Democrats. After several days argu 
ment Judge Miller, one of the eight, su'/- 
mitted to ilie Commis,sion an order; 

"That no evidence will be received or 
sidered by the Commission which was not 
submitted to the joint convention of the two 
Houses by the President of the Senate with 
the dill'ereiit eertiticates. excej't such as re- 
lates to the eligibility of F. C. Humphreys, 
one of the electors." This order wasadop'.ed 
by a vote of the eight Republicans to the 
seven Democrats. This shut out all the 
testimony of the frauds to the Returning 
I Board returns and the violations of State 
liws by the Returning Board Mr, GarfieJ<i 
voted in direct op^msition to the positi<»n he 
had taken in discussing the bill in tli(- 
] House. The order thus pjussed adh'.ifti-d th'- 
I certificates signed by .Stearns, the then Ciov- 
ernor. and given to the Hayes electors, nof- 
' withstanding the Legislature, the courtsand 
the iK'wly elected Governor, all declareil and 
I wore prepared to i»rove that the eeriificate 
' given by .Stearns was untrue, w;is corrui)tly 
j procured and made in pursuance of a fraud- 
j ulent consjiiracy. I'ortunately the Commis- 
. sion bad no control over the vole for the 
I State ollieials, or they would i:ndoubtedly 
' have declared Stearns reelected ({overnor of 
I tlie .State. It so liappened that the very 
I same eleclion which elected a Democratic 
I Uovernor wa-* so manipulated by ihe liepub- 
■ ituan Board t)f CanvassiJrs and the Electoral 
Commission — S to 7 — as to count in-Kepub- 
I litan electors. The course of Mr. Garfield 
j could not but attract marked attention in 
the Senate, in the House, and all .over the 



suiA i 



I 7 1 



country. Tlo had spoken ono way ujiilpr 
oatli as a inenibiT of the Hons^c. lie sjiokc 
ami voted in a tliiectly opposite way undiT 
oath as a meinher of the ronimission. In 
the Florida case lie said ax a menilx-r of t]ic 
Commission: 

"The final detiMJiiinatinn of the result of 
the election having heen derlared hy the 
anthority empowered to determine and de- 
elare it, that act becomes the act of fhe 
State, and the two honses ot V'ongress can no 
more question such declaration than ihey 
can qutstion the primary right of appoint- 
ment by the State."' 

In his speech in the Hotise he admit- 
ted, as a member of tiiat body, that 
the bill establishing the C'ommissiim 
'assumed the right of Congress to ito down 
into the electoral colleges and inquire into 
all the acts nnd facts connected with their ; 
work. It a.-i^sunies the risrht of Congress to 
go down into the States, to review the nets 
of every otticer.'' In the Louisiana case the 
action of the Commission and the course of 
Garfield were the same as in the case of 
Florida. Be it remembered that while Mr. 
Garliekl and the S to 7 Commission gave the 
■electoral vote of vSouth Carolina, Florida 
and Louisiana to the Republicans, the State 
authorities in each State gave the vote of 
thv Ptate to the Democratic candidate for 
K^overnor. These several candidates were 
inaugurated, entered upon and discharged 
theirdntie-i as duly elected Governors. As 
such they were recognized and treated by 
the Republican administration which the 
Klectoral Comiliission foisted into power, by 
the courts and citizens of their respective 
States and by the authorities of all their 
sister States. • 

If the electoral law was constitutional, 
why did Mr. Ciarfield give to it a con.struc- 
tion as a member of the Commission direct- 
ly opposite to that which he gave at the lime 
hewasekctcd a mendjerof that Commi.s,sion? 
If he dill not think the law constitutional, 
why tyd he accept a position on that Com- 
mission? When he was on the Con\mi£sion 
all testimony and facts as to forgery, per- 
jury and force in the States, '"all the acts 
and facts connected with the work" of the 
Electoral Cidlege.s were iiliuuile. were not to 
be considered m»r inquiretl itito by the Com- 
mission. The individiuil action of no hiem- 
ber of the Commission wa.s so much the ob- 
ject of adverse criticism as that of Mr. (iar- 
lield. He oc(Mipied the anomalous attitude 
of having been one of "the visiting states- 
men" who had prepared the case on which 
the infamous Returning IJoard of Louisiana 
had cduattd in the Hayes electors; uf being 
a member of Congress wIk) opposed the elec- 
toral bill because it assumed authority to go 
behind the Returning Roard and inquire 
into "acts and facts;" of being a member of 
the Electoral Commission who denied the 
authority to inquire into the frauds com- 
mitted by the Returning lioard. He alone 
of all men had been a visiting statesniaii, a 
member of Congress and a member of the 
(.'omraistion. li was as though he had been 
an altorr.ey, juror and judge in the s:ime 
cause. 



Rftnrnhi^ hoards tt«vTari1c(i. 
The Hayes Adminislialion, which is the 
oil>pringol the Returning Board con.spira- 
tors, soon manifotcd its knowledge and ap 
prtciatiim of its paternity. Jniin Sli'rman. 
one of liie chief of the vi.siting stat'-snien. 
was given the most important position in 
the Cabinet, thai of Secretar>' of the Treas- 
iirj'. (iarlield was promised the Siicakership 
of the House, but a Democratic House pn- 
vented the folrillnicnt of that promi.«e. In 
lieu thertof, the lirst succeeding Republitan 
Legislature elected him to the United Stjit: ^ 
Senate over that grand old Den'ocratiCiStau >■ 
man, Allen G. J'liurman. Mtoughton, ■ f 
New York; Noyes, of Ohio; Ivasson, of Illi- 
noi.>i, visiting .■statesmen, were sent as reprc- 
sentativevs of the Government to courts in 
Europe; Gen*. Low Wallace, of Indiana, wa-* 
made (joveriior of Xew Me.xico. WelN. 
Anderson and Kenner, of the Louisiana Ih- 
turning Roard, not only got fat otliccs, but 
had their families well i)rovided for. I'ack- 
urd. their CMididate for Governor in Louisi- 
ana; Stearns, their candidate for (iovernor 
in-Florida; McLin, one of their Hoard <«f 
Canvassers in Florida, all received their re- 
wards, in short, witli but very few excep- 
tions, everyone who had any hand in the 
Returning Board frauds were liberally n-- 
warded in their own persons, and some in 
the persons of their sons, brothers and fam- 
ily connections. To call them up one by 
one would be like calling up the ghoirt-- in 
Macbeth. The line of theui will stretch out 
until the crack of doom. 

The only e.\cej)tion to the general r'l'" ■ ' 
any consequence was in the ease of ' 
nave, the mulatto member of the Loui- 
Returning Board. For some reason uu 
known to the public, lie did not receive any 
appointment. He had some property and 
Ousiness of his owti to atteiul to. It may l>i> 
that he concludeil there was more money in 
that than in taking othce under the eircuii'- 
stances. His brotlier was made a United 
States .storekeeper, salary. $l,4f>0. A little 
incident which ha]>pened last year, growiii-' 
our of the Ueturning Board rascalities, gave 
considerable annoyance to the Administra- 
tion and cost some of its niembers a littli- 
money. The members of the Rf'turninir 
Board were indicted for the frauds they 
committed, 'ihey em]>loyed lawyers to de- 
fend thcTn for a fee of !ii:),OUO. They wert* 
afterwards sued for an unpaid portion of that 
fee. Judgment wa*: obtained lor the air 
due. K.xecutioti was i--sued and 
on the property of Ca.ssanave; i ■ 
Wells, Ander.son nor Kenner, the other ilin e 
n»enihers of il-.e Hoard though drawing 
M>ert3' to sii ' 
i>use wa-- ;. 
iri get any! ■, ■ 
1 Kenner, he in 
;i to see the b'— 
; ■:iMi'ii ami end 
his Returning 1 
Ht called up' 
I're.-idiiit. wiio gave him nothing but sniito. 
sympathy ami advice to go back aftd see An- 
iferson. He went to see the Seere' 
War. Md^rury, who .<aid he was ' 
man," willing lo pay the whole araou; 
u able to pay a cent. The Secretary ■ 



large salarie- 


' 


to e.\eeutio.. 




to be sold. 




out of Wei: 




despair wen, 




n;; 


'c r. 1 


t.. 


in 


t r. . 


• III. 



[ « ] 



Treasury being out of town, Cassanavc went 
to see the attorney of the administration, 
Sl(ellabar»^er, of Ohio, practicing law in 
Washington. Shellabarger told him to go 
to see llawley, the Assistant Secretary of the 
Treasury. Havvley wouhl do nothing, but 
.-uldrrc<l <'a>-;juitt\e l>ack to.Shellaharger, who 
tlien a!<.-*iired ru.s.Kanave that the money 
would be raised when Sherman returned. 
Cassanave waited and went to sec Sherman 
on hi> return. Slierman protrored him s^lOO. 
This he indignantly refu.sed, .'^aying that 
would not pay his expenses to Washington. 
Cassanave sa.\s: "I then left his ollice disap- 
pointe<l and depressed at the thought that I 
•vas g'ling to l)e saoriheed and ruined while 
others were being enrioheil in high olHces 
into which they had climbed on the ladder 
I helped to setup. I again sought the ad- 
vice of Mr. Shellabarger. In my excited 
feelings I said I would expo.se the whole 
matter of the Returning Board proceedings 
and go home and pocket the lo.^s. He ad- 
vi.sed me not to tlirow ' the handle after the 
pot,' but write a letter setting forth tJie 
fact-s in the case and await results." Cas- 
sanave took tliis ad^yice. He wrote a let- 
ter to Mr. Hayes and sent a copy of it 
to .John Sherman. In the letter he said 
Anderson advised him "that the $),000 fee 
woiUd be paid out of funds sent from Wash- 
ington." lie .said that the SherifT could find 
no property belonging to Wells, Anderson 
or Kenner; that if his property was sold 
under execution "it will render me bank- 
rupt." He said he had "never enjoyed any 
of the fruits resulting froni the lindings" of 
the ileturning Board -^ that he had held no 
ollice under the Administration ; that he 
had derived no pecuniary benelits there- 
from; but, on the contrary, had "sustained 
considerable loss in his business on account 
of his identity with the Board." He pro- 
teited against being mulcted for lliis fee 
while oiliers enjoy the iionor and emolii- 
mcuits resulting from its decision." He said: 
"It would be more becoming tlie benelici; - 
ries of our acts to diicliarge these debts." 
Ho told of Shermuji having prollered to him 
*:10.1, which, he says, 'I was compelled to 
decline out of res))ect for the great linance 
minister of our Government." The sum 
was contemptible as the contribution of 
him who, through the Keturning Hoanl, had 
become "the great linance minister (jf our 
tiovernnumt," hence, "out of respect for the 
great (ir.ance minister," it was declined. A 
tew h% \irs after this letter was delivered, 
• 'assamve was informed that ^."i'M from 
.sicrm; II had been sent to New Orleans to 
l>ay wu the cxecu(,ion. Mr. Hayes paid 
«1.<M)0. Siiellabargor telegraphed to the at- 
torney who had the judgment, a.-king if he 
wi>uld give reasonable time on the lialance 
afterpayment of tliis $l,otM.). Tlie attorney 
replied "that if they would send .>L'.">1) more, 
and Casf-anave woiild give sicurjty not to 
ilispo^e of his property, lie would watt for 
the balance due "until" the next .l.inunry. 
Mr. Sheru»an then paiil over the reqiiirefl 
.i;2">0, ana ('as.-aiiave left for New Orleans, 
faying he had a tlocument which would 
bring them to time if they failed to put tip 
the balance due on the $o,'000 fee. 



Sonthcrn Chi!mH. 

A charge which is made by the ].■ piin- 
lican .speakers and writers, to mislead tlie 
lionest masses of the Niuth, is that when the 
Democracy get the Presidency, a.s they now 
have the .donate and Hou.se, they will bank- 
rupt the (Jovernment by paying rebel war 
debts for emancipated slaves and property 
of Confederates taken or destroyed bv the 
Federal army. That this is a lie out of 
whole cloth every man in the South knows. 
Bui there are thousands and tens of thou- 
sands of good citizens in the North who are 
made to believe this unmitigated lie by the 
persistent misrepresentations of those they 
are accustomed to look to for political infor- 
mation and guidance. ICven if we desired 
so to do, the (^'onstitution forever prohibits 
u.s, without a change of that instrument, 
which cannot be accomplished but with the 
con.sent and approval of a large proportion 
of the North themselves. The fourteenth 
amendment to the Constitution declares: 

"Neither the United States nor any State 
shall a.ssume or pay any debt or obligation 
incurred in aid ofinsurrection or rebellion 
against the United States, or any claim for 
the loss or emancipaiion of any slave; but 
all such debts, obligations and claims shall 
be held illegal and void." 

To alter or amend the Consiitutionit i.s 
neccs.sary that the alteration or amendment 
shall be proi)Osed by two-thirds of both 
houses of Congress or by a general 
convention called on application oi 
the Legislatures of two-thirds of 
the States. The amendment when 
proposed must be ratitied l>j- three-fo«rths 
of the States or by conventions in three - 
fourths thereof. Th"rce-fourths are twenty- 
nine. The South has only sixteen. It would 
re(iuire a solid South and thirteen Northern 
States to alter or amend. No such amend- 
ment .as we are charged with desiring is di- 
m n led. re(|ue.-tcd or contemplated by tine 
p3ople of the ."-'outh. We went into the war 
wit'i all of our energy and all of our re- 
sources. We made the best light we could. 
We were vanquished, and we will abi^Ie the 
result. When we rellect on the bitterness 
with which Kepublicau iiartisaus pursue lis, 
upon the malignity with which they mi- 
reprcsent us, we are doubly, trebly thank- 
ful to tlie noble band of Northern patriots 
who have stood lus a wall of tire between ns 
and militarv tlespotism. 

In the third session of the Fortieth Con- 
gress (1H70 -71), when Mr. (iarticld was chair- 
man of the tVunmittee on Appropriations, 
the .Vrmy a)>piopriation bill cstablislu'.il the 
Court of Claims, omsistingoi" three Commis- 
sioners, "who shall consider the justice and 
validitv of such claims as shall be brought 
before 'them of tho.sc citi:'-ens who remained 
loval adherent.s to the cnuse and the (Jov- 
er'nment of the United States during the 
war, for stores or sup^>lies taken orfurnishetl 
during ihs rebellion tor the use of the army 
of the United States in States jiroclaimed as 
in inson.ctidu against the United States. ' 
That <'immis.sion reports to Congress on all 
clai:i s presented. There cannot be n claim 
reported upon by that court belonging ti> 
one who was disloyal to the Unioi^. No 
c aim of a disloyal per n 'u any way aris'.n. 



r ^' ] 



ut of (ho war ran be pjiid or will ever be 
I resented to the Conrt of Claiuisi by Con - 
J ress. 

Arthur. 
(K the Ilepnhlican candiilalo tor (he Vi( o 
Presidency, it is ncces.'-arj' to >ay but little. 
< >iit of the mouths of his own i>eo|)l(! conus 
his condemnation. Mr. Hayes found liim 
"lleclor of the port <>f New York, apj>oint^vl 
V tUu. (irant. lie continuctl in olHce 
uider the i>resent administrution nearly two 
I'ars, when the determination wjis taken to 
■ move him. Why? Mr. Sherman, Secretary 
f tlu' Treasury, said to him in an ollicinl 
romniunication: "(ini-is ai)uses of adminis- 
tration have increased during your incum- 
bency." 'Persons have been regularly paid 
'"V you who uave rendered little or no 
• •rvice; the expenses of your otlicc have in- 
reascd while its receipts have diminished, 
lirihes, or gratuities in tlie shape of bribes, 
have been received by your subordinates in 
several branches of the Custom-house and 
you have in no case supported the ctfort to 
irorrect these abuses." 

M. Hayes wrote to Mr. Arthur: "With a 
lecp sense of my obligations Mnder the con- 
stitution 1 rciiard it my plain iluty to super- 
cede you in order that the office may be 
honestly administered.'' 

Such is the ma» the Republicans present 
for your support as a candidate for the Vice 
I'residenc}'. Mr. Arthur was never dreamed 
I, nor spoken of as a candidate before 
i;e Chicago Convention. Gen. (Jarlield 
\ as never spoken of as a probability as a 
juiince for the Presidency. Some one 
iggested him a little while before the con- 
rntion as a possibility in that connection. 
NO one pressed the suggestion. In fact a 
ading Renublican paper in his uwn State, 
he Cincinnati Commercial, squelched the 
suggesliofi by very emt)hatically declaring 
that Gen. Garfield did not have a record to 
run on. Is there any man, anywhere who 
believes that the Uej)ublican party would 
have ever committed the stupendous 
blunder, political crime if you jtlease, of 
nominating either one of their present can- 
didates if their names had been Ijefore the 
country in that regard and their records 
discussed for two weeks? Nothing but the 
nadness of the time, after tlie long struggle 
•> defeat CJrant, ever produced such a result. 
It is an apt verification of the old adage: 
Whom the gods would destroy they lirst 
make mad. 1 have given you something of 
I he principles and practices of the Kepuhli- 
i;in party and something of the record of 
'heir candidates — enough to show why the 
'cople of the South cannot support either 
lie i^arty or it.'' (andi<lutes; enough to show 
why the South is solid, who made it so and 
wiiy it will continue so until the bloody 
-hirt banner is forever furled, until we are 
cen and represented by our fellow couutry- 
.en, Plast. North and West, as we are 
Mid not as the hot gospellers of hate would 
uive us. 

Look on that Picture Then o« Thin, 
Having given ■^cuuc <u' the reasons why we 
. annot support the P.eiuiblicans, we will 
state some of those which causes a solid 
South to support the Democracy. We 
heartily endorse their platform ami their 



cundidales. The platform is clear and un- 
^nistakable in it.s utterance. It doe.s not 
speak with a forked tongue. It doen rmt 
palter in a double sense. 

The candiiiatcs are not new men. Tiny 
were not sprung upon the convention wliiiii 
nominated tlieiu in a moment of grirf, 
anger or despair. They had been before the 
country for years. Their records had»beeii 
discns.sed. tli« candidate for the Presi- 
dency and candidate for the Vice Presi- 
dency have been under consideration hy 
by the Demoirary of the union for years. 
Neither of iJuMii has the smell of fraud or 
corruption on bis garment.s No Credit 
Moblher, no DcGolyer pavements, no San- 
born contract^, no I'acilic railroad jobs, nosus- 
pension from official position in order (hat 
thcot^ice hehthl might be 'honestlyadminis- 
teied," no failure to correct the receiving 
«)f bribes by suiiordinates touches the s|>ot- 
less reputation of either of our candidates. 
These extracts from the letter of acceptance 
of the our dislinguisheil leader speak the 
sentiments of I'emocrats South and North: 

Tlic thirioeiuh. fourteeiitti and fifteenth aniprnl- 
mcii'is to the (.'onstilutioii »•! the United ."stales, eiii- 
liixlying thi> rcsHllsnf tlie war for tlie I'liion, are in- 
violable. If i-;(iled to the Pre-iidency I shouM deem 
it luy duty to resist with all my power .iny atteiui'i 
to impair or evade t tic full force and efleet of th'- 
Constitution, which, in every artiule, .section and 
a.mcniiiiiem, is the supreme law of the land. The 
Constitution forius the basis of the (Jovernnient of 
the United Plates. The powers granted by it to llir 
legislative, cveeutive and judicial departments dctlne 
and limit the authority of the General Oovcrnnieni. 

:= ^! ■) !> if * 

Our luateriid interest,?, varied and progressive, de- 
mand our constant and united efforts. A sedulou.-< 
and serupiilou.s care of the public credit, together 
with wise and economical luannEcnient of our gor- 
erniucntal exiieiiditures, .should be in.'\intaine<l, in or- 
der that the labi.r may be lightly burdened, and thai 
all persons may be protected iii their i ighis to the 
fruits of their own industry. The timu liaa come to 
enjoy the sulwtantial benelits of roconciliatiou. .\- 
one people we have a common intere.-t. '■■' '' 
The bayonet is not a lit instrument for collecting the 
votes of freemen. It is only by a full vote, ivce 
ballot r.nd a I'llr couiit'that the i>e(>ple can rule in fact, 
as required by the theory of our (iovcrnuient. Tak*- 
this foundation away and the whole structure falls. 
•> ■:• ■:■ ■:■ <i «■ 

If elected. [ -li:ill. with Pivine favor, labor with 
wbatabilil^ ■.. discharge my duties wiib 

tidelity aci ■ convii-tions, and shall take 

care to proi .1 the Union and to see tb:u 

the laws be ;_i;l.!iill\ .nnil equally executed in :iM 
parts of the country alike. 

Tin e enunciations receive the hciirtv ap- 
proval of every .sotithern Democrat. 

Hut: Whoisfien. Hancock? 

If you ask what .State he hail.s from, 

\Vc piiiiolly hcio avow, 
Ite liails from I'euiisylvania — 
Itut the Union eliinis bim now. 

He is an <dlicer in the United States Army. 
He was in the Mexican war. He was in tlir 
Serminole v.ar and was one of the most dis- 
tinguished otJieers in the Union army in tlie 
late war, consjiicuotis for his bravery ami hi^ 
stubborne^s as a fighter in the hard fought 
battles of X'irginia and Pennsylvania. (»ih- 
cers anih men of the Confederate army of 
Nnrtherm^'irpiniaknew whenever Hancock's 
• iicotintered tlierc was stubborn 
be done. At <icttysburg wher'- 
I icracy received its death wound, 

hi? cori.:i was the northern line of defen.''e 
wijich the gallantry, the chivalry, the Cour- 
age, the desperation of the Southern soldier 



[ 10 ] 



could notbrcak. All honorami immortality 
to the brave, heroic soldier who fought on 
that desperately contested fiild, whether he 
wore the blue or the grey. 

In his L'Piieral orMer announcing to the 
peojile uf the Valk-y of Virginia the sur- 
render of (ien. Lee, Gen. Hancock said: 
"Kvery military restraint shall be removed 
that is not absolutely essential, and your 
sons, your husltauds and your brothers shall 
remain with you unmolustcd." IIow com- 
forting, how reassuring was that order to 
that di.stre.ssed j>eople in that terrible hour 
i»f their defeat and in tlie agonv of their sus- 
pense as to the late that awaited their sons, 
their husbands and their brothers. 

When the war was over, Gen. Hancock 
continued in the discharge of his duties as 
an officer of the army. Under the recon- 
struction act of ISTfi, wliich converted ten of 
the Southern States into niilitp.ry districts, 
he was a.ssigned to the command of the lifth 
district, composed of the States of Louisiana 
and To.xas. Under that act, which was voted 
for by Mr. Garfield, the commander of the 
ilistrict li'-id in his hands the life, the liberty, 
the property of the citizens of these Stixtes. 
He hud the posver to remove the otllcers of 
the law. to suppress local tribunals, to sus- 
pend the civil law, and to establisli mili- 
tary commissiors. By military authority, 
under his predecessors, elections had been 
annulled, the qualification of jurors deter- 
mined, acts of the Legislature suspended 
and annulled, <Tuvernors removed and others 
appointed, Judges and Sheritrs removed, 
civil tribunals ordered to disregard acts of 
the Legislature — all this was authorized by 
an act of Congress, which Mr. Gartield sup- 
ported. In "General Order No. 40," as- 
suming command of the militarj' district, 
"luted N^ew Orleans, Nov. 29, 1.S07, he said: 

"The great principles of civil libertj' are 
still the inheritance of this people, and ever 
should be. Tlie right of trial by j\iry, the 
habeas corpus, the liberty of the j)ress, the 
freedom of spioch, tha natural rights of per- 
sons and ilie right;! of property must be pre- 
served. Free institutions, wiiile they are 
e.s.«ential to the prosperity and happiness of 
the people, always furnish tlie strongest in- 
ducement*! t<i peace ami order. Crimes and 
otl'ensf's committeil in tliis district must be 
referred to the consideration and judgment 
<if the regular civil tribunals, and those tri- 
bunals will be supported in tlieir lawful 
jurisdiction." 

In an order issued Dec. o, he says: "The 
true and |iroper use of ndlilary power, be- 
sides defeiiilii'.g tiie iiaiional honor against 
foreign nations, is to uphold the laws and 
civil governnu'ut, and to secure to every per- 
son residing among us, the enjoyn\ent of 
life, liberty and properly." "To iletermine 
who shal, and who .>-hall not be jurors, a|)- 
pertuins to thi- legislative power, and until 
the laws in existence regulating tint* sluill be 
amended or changed by that dej>i%rtmeut of 
the civil government which the !?tate Con- 
>titution vests with tiial power, it is deemed 
best to carry out tiic will of the pe«ple as 
expre.vsed inlhelast legislative act upon this 
subjpct. The proper «iu;ili,lication of a juror 
under the law is a proper subject for the de- 
cision of the courts. The commanding Gen- 



eral, in the discharge of the trust reposed in 
him, will maintain the just power of the 
judiciary, and is unwilling to j)ermit tho 
civil authorities and laws to be embarrassed 
by military interference." 

In an order issued Jan. 1, 1868, he ai>- 
nounced: "The adminisiration of civil jus- 
tice appertains to the regular courts. The 
rights of litigants do not depend on the 
views of the <ieneral. They are to be u<\- 
iudged and settled according to the laws. 
Arbitrary power, such as he has been urged 
to assume, has no existence here." 

In an order issued Dec. IS, 1,S(J7, lie 
direi'ted: "No soldier will be allowed to ap- 
pear at any polling place unless as citizcii- 
of the State they are registered as voter<. 
and then only for the jmrpose of voting." 

In his military orders, and in his letters to 
(tov. I'ease. an appointed (Jovernor of that 
Slate, Gen. Hancock laid down in the 
simplest and most masterly manner the cor- 
rect principles of our republican! form of 
representative government. But the doc- 
trines he })romulsated were not satisfactory 
to the Radical Republicans iu Congre.'^s. He 
held his position by authority of the Presi- 
dent, Mr. Johnson, as Commander-in-Chief 
of the Army and S'avy. The President sus- 
tained the Commanding General of the Kiftli 
Military District. He went so far as to send 
a special message to Congress saying that 
Gen. Hancock deserved the thanks of Con- 
gress and the country for his services as 
commander of his military district. A reso- 
lution to that ettect was offered in the House 
Jan. n, 1808, and Hon. James A. Gartield 
voted to lay that resolution on the table. In 
a speech in the House Jan. 18, 18(J8, Hon. 
Jas. A. Garlield commenting on. the order> 
of Gen. Hancock said: 

"We see him ((Jeii» H.) issuing a general 
order, in which he declares the civil should 
not give way to the military. We hear him 
declaring tliat he finds nothing in the laws 
of Louisiana and Texas to warrant his inter- 
ference with the civil administration of 
those States. It is not for him to say which • 
should be lirst, the civil or the military, in 
that rebel community." 

A few weeks thereafter a bill was intro- 
duced in the House by Hon. Jas. A. <inr- 
tield. Chairman of the .Military Committee, 
to reduce the number of Major Generals in 
the army, the sole purpose of which was to* 
get rid of (ien. Hancock, a-s a stundding 
block in the path to military desiioti.-^m. 
Congress so hamjjercd the President that he 
could no longer sustain Gen. Han- 
cock. In n letter written then to 
a friend, he sjiid: The President is no 
longer able to protect me, so tliat I may 
e.xjuct one humiliation after another until 
I »m forceil to resign. I am i>re|)ared for 
any event. Nothing can intimidate me 
from doing what I believe to be honest and 
right." The l{jidical power in Congress, of 
which Mr. (iarlicid was a j>otent factor, com- 
pelled Gen. Hancock to a^k to be relieved 
from his command. He left New Orlean.s. 
He carried with him the gratitude and aiFec- 
tion of the people over whom he had ruled. 
Can any other ruh^r of ancient or modern 
times, pos.sessed of despotic p<iwers, say as 
much? At everv Presidential election ^nce. 



[ 11 ] 



111- lias l-ieen tlic choice of the intolligenro 
and wortii of Texas ami Louisiana for tlic 
I'lL'sideiicy. lie liad fought the second 
great battle at New Orleans— a battle to be 
scarcely less renowned in the history of our 
I'ovintry than that fought on the 8th of Jan- 
uary, 1815. Orund, jiroiihetic coincidence, 
Jackson and Hancock, great military chief- 
tains, great in the adniinistrHtion of civil af- 
fairs, heroes of New Orleans, presented to 
the sulIVages of their fellow-citizens for the 
highest ottice within their gift, the one to 
V'C, the other has been Tresident of the 
I'uited States. Par nublh fiutnim. 
Hr. Knttlltili. 

1 have related to you what thtvRepuhlican 
I'resident and the Republican Secretary of 
State said to the Republican candidate for 
the Vice Presidency when they suspended 
him from office in order that theoffice might 
be '"honestly administered." Let us see 
what Mr. Buchauan, while I'resident, said 
to our candidate for the Vice Presidency, 
whoahen held political position. Mr. Bu- 
I iianan wrote to Mr. English: 

"It was your fate to end a dangerous agi- 
tation, to confer lasting benefits upon your 
country, and to make vour chara?ter histor- 
ical, i shall remain always youf friend. If 
I had a thousand votes [lor*Congre.ss] you 
-liou' T have them all with a hearty good 
will." 

When he declined to return to Congress 
aticr having faitBhiUy served his constit- 
uents for eight j^ears,"the convention which 
nominated his successor unanimously adopt- 
ed the following: 

'"Kesolved, that in selecting a candidate to 
represent this district in the Thirty-.seventh 
Congress, we deem it a proper occasion to 
express the respect and esteem we entertain 
for our present member, Mr. W. H. English, 
and our confidence in hiiu as a public offi- 



cer. In his retirement, in accordance witb 
ids well-known wishes, from the position of 
liepre.senUitivf, which he has" so long tilled 
with credit to ium-elf and beiielit to thr 
couJitry, we heartily greet him with the 
plaudit, 'Well done", thou good and faithful 
servant.' " 

For fifteen years Mr. English was intrust- 
ed witli the management of one of the niost 
imporUint fiiuiucial institutions, during a 
most dangerous financial period. When 
voluntarily retiring from this position of 
trust and honor, the present Chairman of 
the Indiana Republican K.Kecutive Commit- 
tee otVcred a resolution, which was unani- 
mously adopted by the stockholders, in 
which they say they — 

"Sincerely regret the causes which impel 
the resignation of lion. Wm. H. English, so 
long president of this institution, and in ac- 
cepting the same they desire to express their 
thanks to him for the very great financial 
ability, constant watchfulness and perfect 
fidelity with which he has managed it from 
its organization to the present time. 

"Resolved, that the Executive Committee 
of the Board be directed to have prepared 
and present to him a suitable testimonial as 
a memento of our personal reganl and es- ^ 
teem, and that he carry with him our most 
sincere wislics for a long life of usefulness 
and happinc-i'"." 

Such, fellow-citizens, are the Democratic 
and Picpublican parties; such are the hastily 
sketched official records of their candidates 
for the Presidency and Vice Presidency. 
Choo.se ye ,^et ween "them. The Democracy 
present'you the banner of the Stars and 
Stripes with brotherly love and national 
honor written upon it. The opi)Osing forces 
wave as their banner a bloody shirt with 
"sectional hate and political proscription" as 
their motto. Choose ye between them. 



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